Border Soldiers: My granaries are full of grain and meat, and I guard this region.

Zhong Shao sat down next to Qi Feng, took off his helmet and placed it on his knees. His hair was completely soaked with sweat, and strands of it clung tightly to his forehead.

He remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking:

"The casualties of the reinforcements have been tallied: 18 dead and 41 wounded. The Great Rong collected over 330 bodies last night, and more than 20 who had escaped were picked up by the pursuit team. Of the 500 cavalry, less than 200 escaped back."

"However... of your men, twenty-one were killed and six were seriously wounded last night, leaving twenty-three."

"Of the other seven hundred garrison soldiers, only one hundred and forty remain, and each of them is wounded."

Qi Feng remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Young Master Zhong, they all gave their lives for Duma Village."

Zhong Shao was taken aback upon hearing this, and after a moment he reacted, he nodded slightly:

"I will arrange for people to take good care of their funerals, and all the compensation will be given to their families without any shortfall."

At this point, Zhong Shao paused, looked around, and then said in a low voice:

"In addition, Magistrate Zhao's operation also closed in last night. The person who wrote the letter you sent back has been identified."

Qi Feng turned his head to look at Zhong Shao, surprised that they had found a clue so quickly.

Zhong Shao continued, "It's a former official named Zhou Ji. He worked as a clerk in the county government for several years. He resigned last year but didn't leave; he's been staying in Fuxing County ever since. According to the clues we've gathered, he seems to be connected with..."

Zhong Shao hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering his words, but Qi Feng answered first for him:

"Huang Dingyuan?"

Zhong Shao's pupils contracted, and he nodded slightly:

"The clue we've found so far is that he's working for Huang Dingyuan's people, sending messages westward every two weeks. The copy you handed over is his fourth one in the last two weeks."

Zhong Shao's voice was kept extremely low.

"I have already had Magistrate Zhao detain the man, and I have also sealed a copy of the letter and sent it to the prefectural government."

Qi Feng narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this.

This matter is not so easy to resolve. Huang Dingyuan, as a veteran general of the Longxi Army, is among the top in terms of position and power. Now that he is involved in this kind of thing, anyone would start to have wild thoughts.

Furthermore, they haven't obtained conclusive evidence yet, and if they are falsely accused later, they will be the ones who suffer.

Qi Feng stopped asking questions after thinking about this. Zhong Shao looked at the battlefield in Qi Family Village, thought for a moment, and changed the subject:

"However, you fought this battle exceptionally well. You managed to stop five hundred cavalrymen of the Great Rong and even wiped out more than two hundred of them. This is far superior to the twelve men you killed last time. I estimate that you will be promoted again soon."

"Getting promoted from the ninth rank to the regular ninth rank is not a problem, but as for the eighth rank... it depends on luck. The positions above the ninth rank are all very limited, and sometimes there aren't enough available to fill them all."

Zhong Shao explained, a wry smile on his face.

Qi Feng fell silent upon seeing this.

However, he also understood that, whether in his past life or now, officials always waited for those with connections to be promoted first. For someone like him who had no background or connections, it would be extremely difficult to get promoted.

Seeing Qi Feng remain silent, Zhong Shao patted him on the shoulder:

"But don't worry, your abilities speak for themselves. I will write a letter to my father, telling him of your importance, and that the Zhong family will fully support you. If the Rong army reinforces its troops and shifts the battlefield in the future, we will need you to take charge of the defense of Fuxing County."

Qi Feng nodded, and after a moment he suddenly spoke: "Young Master Zhong, I have a request."

"you say."

"If I were to take over the defense of this area of ​​Fuxing County, I would want to keep this team here. I don't want any of the people who stayed with me until dawn last night to leave."

Zhong Shao looked at Qi Feng, remained silent for two breaths, and then nodded:

"Alright, no problem. The garrison troops will be under your command, and the troops in Duma Village will also be under your command from now on. You can choose the men yourself and decide on the organization yourself. I, Zhong Jia, will report it for you. In addition, the eight hundred men in Duma Village, plus the original county patrol officer's organization under your command, will make a total of a thousand men. But I need you to promise me one thing."

Qi Feng was taken aback upon hearing this: "Young Master Zhong, please speak."

Zhong Shao stood up and patted the dirt off his armor: "Next time there's a battle like this, you'd better come back alive. If you die, I can't find another person who can defend Qijia Village."

Qi Feng leaned against the wall without moving, a forced smile tugging at the corners of his mouth: "Young Master Zhong, about the battlefield..."

Before Qi Feng could finish speaking, he saw Zhong Shao looking at him earnestly, and finally nodded: "Okay, I promise you."

The eight hundred men brought by Zhong Shao stayed in Qijia Village, cleaning up the battlefield and rebuilding the defensive fortifications.

Qi Feng arrived at the threshing ground, where rows of people covered with white cloths were placed. Some of the cloths had a clear outline bulging out from under them, while others had collapsed and were close to the ground.

Qi Feng's gaze swept over several pairs of boots. These were leather boots that he had personally selected from the Duma Village warehouse. The soles of these boots were thicker than those of ordinary soldiers, and they were specially prepared for his men.

Qi Feng stood there stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but think of those young people in Qijia Village who had clamored to join the army with him.

In the blink of an eye, these people and he were separated by death.

Qi Feng was momentarily at a loss as to how to face the people of Qi Family Village. They were all people he had brought from the village, and he had promised them that he would ensure their survival.

Qi Feng suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

Zhong Shao walked over and stood beside him, saying softly, "There are always deaths in war, try to take it easy."

Qi Feng didn't stand in front of the open space for long; after a while, he turned and walked back into the village.

Qijia Village was even more dilapidated than he had expected. The section of earthen wall at the village entrance had almost completely collapsed, with rubble and clods of earth piled up by the roadside, revealing the broken wood and dry grass that had filled it inside.

As Qi Feng passed by the mill, he saw several soldiers squatting in the charred ruins of the shed, rummaging through the remaining usable items.

When the crowd saw Qi Feng, no one spoke; they simply made way for him and continued to crouch down and search.

Qi Feng walked to the vicinity of the breach in the south wall. The bodies there had already been carried away, and the breach had been resealed by the garrison soldiers with freshly dug soil, which was not yet completely dry.

Qi Daniu squatted by the wall next to the gap, his left arm in a sling across his chest, wearing a clean new set of clothes. Seeing Qi Feng approach, he tried to stand up, but Qi Feng pressed his shoulder down.

"Don't move, get some rest."

Qi Daniu gave a wry smile upon hearing this, then grinned as he looked at his left arm, which was wrapped up like a dumpling.

"The army doctor said that the arm can be saved, but it will take two months to recover. In addition, there are other injuries on the body, so I'm afraid I won't be able to train with Brother Feng for the next two months."

Qi Feng nodded and squatted down next to him: "Taking good care of your health is the most important thing you should be doing right now."